New Delhi, Feb 17 (LAB) People’s right to life can be protected by protecting the environment degradation, NHRC Chairman Justice Arun Mishra said today.
Directing the State Human Rights Commissions to focus on issues relating to climate change and environmental degradation at a local level, Justice Mishra said we must evolve, construct and strengthen a nationwide movement to protect Human Rights violations being caused due to environmental degradation.
In the first meeting of the Common Programme Committee of the NHRC and State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC), held in New Delhi today Justice Arun Mishra said that strengthening of SHRCs in terms of manpower, financial and infrastructure resources is necessary and requested all state bodies to specifically mention their issues so that the National Commission can take it up with the concerned State Governments.
Justice Mishra said that there are several areas concerning human rights wherein the SHRC may intervene locally. These include issues of environmental degradation that poses a threat to people’s right to life. He said that water, soil and river pollution deforestation are a matter of concern for sustainable development. The SHRC may highlight such issues and take up with the local authorities for correctional measures to address the challenges related to climate change right from the grassroots to help evolve, construct and strengthen a nationwide movement.
The Common Programme Committee was constituted in the last meeting of the NHRC-SHRCs on 13 October 2021 with the aim to develop a common action programme to work in synergy for the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
The meeting was chaired by Justice Mishra. Members of NHRC Justice M.M. Kumar, Dr D.M. Mulay and Mr Rajiv Jain were also present. Representatives of Statutory Full Commission, senior officers including Secretary-General, Mr Bimbadhar Pradhan, DG (I), Mr Santosh Mehra, Registrar (Law), Mr Surajit Dey, Joint Secretaries, Mrs Anita Sinha and Mr Harish Chandra Chaudhary attended the meeting and gave their suggestions.
Several suggestions include the creation of a mental health wing in Prisons and Correctional Homes, starting a Human Rights App by all the Commission’s has already been put in place by some others, boarding HRCNet portal of the NHRC by all the SHRCs to reduce duplication of complaints and fast-tracking and processing thereof was made.
Highlighting the importance of such dialogues, the NHRC Chairperson said that all the suggestions will be further fine-tuned to finalise a common action plan for the promotion and protection of human rights throughout the country./LAB/SNG/